The present invention relates to a flange joint in which the end of the pipe to be joined is provided with a peripheral shoulder against which a flange to be tightened by means of bolts or similar is adapted to abut.
Conventional techniques relating to flange joints involve the arrangement of a flange around the pipe end which flange abuts against the pipe end shoulder continuously around the pipe. In general the flange is made in one piece. In joints to fixed connections, such as pumps, provided with threaded bores for clamp bolts the flange is relatively often made of two halves in order to facilitate the installation.
In each case specially dimensioned flanges are required for each pipe size, in addition to which the division and the number of clamp bolts differ. An example of this is the standard SAE (J 518 c) which for pipe sizes from 1/2" to 5" requires fifteen different flanges. Moreover, the flanges are to a great extent used in connections with relatively low pressure, less than about 50 bar, for example, in water pumps, on the suction side in hydraulic applications, etc, in which cases only a fraction of the holding capacity of the flange is utilized.
The object of the present invention is to provide a new flange joint which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages.